Method of making pens



Patented Mar. 16, 1943' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF MAKING PENS John A. Shea, Jersey City, N. J.

Application February 28, 1940, Serial No. 321,219

1 Claim.

This invention relates to the manufacture of a completed pen nib from a flat strip of metal, and contemplates an intermediate step therein, the object of which is to precondition the tip after slitting and before forming of the pen so as to control the slit opening and thereby regulate the ink flow.

Reference is made `to my co-pending applications Serial No. 211,823 of June 4, 1938, now Patent No. 2,195,430, issued April 2, 1940, and Serial No. 238,552, led November 3, 1938, now Patent No, 2,208,477, issued July 16, 1940, in which there is described a pen nib and a method of making a fountain pen nib by a continuous and successive action upon a blank strip of metal successively subjected to a step by step action of various dies.

The present invention relates to the step of manufacture of these pen points by automatic machinery, having particular regard to the condition of the pen point after it has been slit from the tip of the pen to the pierce hole of the pen. This slitting action results in moving the tips of the pen askew to each other, that is, one above the other, and also results in having the pen tips separated from each other.

In the condition of the pen tips so separated, ink will not be able to be held therebetween, and the intermediary step thus obtained is not practical for writing purposes. It is necessary to bring these tips close together so that the tips act to enable writing to be carried on, and it is desired at the same time that these tips so coact with each other as to form a reservoir for ink between the tips to enable a ready flow of ink from the pierce hole through the slit and between the tips of the pen as desired.

My twisting operation causes the tips ty be forced toward each other, or touch each other, as desired. This is accomplished by shaping the die members so that when they pass over the tip they force said tips toward each other. object of the twisting operation is to precondition the outer end of the tip so that when formed from flat to curved shape the slit may be controlled.

This invention therefore comprises means for bringing together the separated tips of a pen point which have been separated by the slitting action, and it consists in a special form of device to enable these tips to be brought together into close relationship in a particular manner.

The invention will be more fully described here' inafter, embodiments hereof shown in the drawing, and the invention will be pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of two tips of the pen closely brought together, with the nib portion broken off;

Figure 2 is a similar view of an alternative form, with the tips slightly open with respect The to each other;

Figure 3 is an end view of Figure 1, showing the close relation of the tips, but with the tips set oi from each other or askew to each other;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the tips separated from each other, in the condition which results from slitting the pen from the tip to the pierce hole;

Figure 5 is an end view of the tips of the pen shown in Figure 4, showing the same separated and with the tips one above the other in askew position.

Figure 6 is an end view of the die shown in Figure Figure 7 is a plan view of the improved device for bringing the tips which are separated as a result of the slitting action into operative relationship with each other, as shownin Figures 1 or 2;

Figure 8 is a transverse view as seen from lines 8 8 of Figure 6; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the seat of the device. Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Figures 6, 7 and 8, the improved device consists of a plunger 25, provided With two surfaces I2 and I3, oiiset from each other a distance indicated by I4 in Figure 9. These platforms I2 and I3 are arranged in height and in relation to each other horizontally considered, so as to form seats for the pen nib I5, which pen nib has its portions Ia and askew to each otherthat is, onehigher or lower than the other. The pen nib I5 in the strip body from which the tip portions I 'l and I8 have been formed, was provided originally with a pierce hole I9, and after the tips I'I and I8 have been formed completely to the extent of shaping them, the pen nib I5 is subjected to a slitting action which extends from the tip of the nib indicated by I'Ia and IBa to the pierce hole I9. Prior to this slitting action, both of the pen tips I'I and I8, as also the portions I5a and |511-, are in the same plane, but the slitting action causes these portions I5a and I5b, together with the tips I'I and I8, to be moved with one portion for instance I8, higher than the other portion Il as shown in Figure 5. The slitting action referred to is a shearing action. The shearing action does not cut away any metal between the pierce hole I9, and the tips IIa and I8a, but causes the nib portions I 5a and I5b to spread apart laterally as shown in Figure 4, and vertically as shown in Figure 5. The lateral spreading apart is also shown in Figure 8.

In order to bring the nib tips Il and I3 together again after the separation due to the shearing action or to incline them toward each other, the tips II and I8 are subjected in their outer portions to the action of the dies shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8, which are provided with a cut out portion having inclined sides 2i), and less inclined sides 2l, terminating in a V-shaped top portion 22. The shape of the top portion,22

is immaterial.

Above the tips I'I and I8, a plunger 25 is provided whicn presses nib portions IEa and I5b downward against a lower bed 24. These nib portions rest on the offset inclined surface I2 and I3, and the tips I'I and I3 extend from the bed 2d. The bed 24 is provided with a cut out 23. Adjacent the member E5 is a sloping member 26, which has a cut out 2'! of different inclination, as shown by 2Q and 2i. A punch 35 permits the plunger to move therein against the action of the spring 35. As the punch 35 descends, it carries with it the shaping member 26, which engages the protruding ends I'I and I8 of the tip, and depending upon the extent of movement of the shaping member, brings these tips IIa and I 8a more or less close together, that is, into desired formation. If an open end is desired, as in Figure 2, the travel oi the shaping member is only partial, and if a closer form is desired, as in Figure l, the travel of the shaping member is made greater. Thus the travel of the shaping member is regulated to the extent of closeness dcsired. The out out 23 permits the shaping member 2S to enter it. The cut out i9 in the part II resulted from milling, and hasno other purpose.

By these inclined portions, the tips I'I and I8 are brought closer together, either in contact as shown in Figure 1, or slightly open as shown Figure 2. rThe pressure Zone on the tips of the pens laterally considered is in relation to the formed pen tip of about one-third to two-thirds, as shown in Figure '7, and the pressure zone is indicated in Figure l by the words pressure zone. After these tips I'l and, I8 have been pressed together from their separate position of Figure 4 ai... ...re 5. they are removed again from the die I i. and when so removed are in the position .icwn Figures l and 3, or in the position shown in Figure 2. By thus incliring the tips towards each other. the preferable form being that the portions of the tips at about I'Ia and 58a are brought in Contact with each other with an elongat-ed -.shaped separation, this forms a reservoir for the ink, generally indicated by 38 in Figure l. .at the same time, due to the shearing action, there is a separation of the nib portions I5@ and i519 in reverse converging inclination as shown in Figure l by the lines 3I, so that the widest part is about at 33. The points of the tips, however, do not need to contact with each other,

but can be slightly separated from each other, somewhat as shown in Figure 2.

After these tips I'I and I8 have been brought laterally toward each other or in close proximity to each other, they are subsequently in the later stages of the manufacture of the pen subjected to a forming action, so as to bring the pen nibs I1 and I8 substantially to the same horizontal plane, to completion. Thus, it has been seen that the spaced ends I'I and I8 which resulted from the shearing have been brought together or inclined towards each other at any desired distance, and at the same time a reservoir has been formed between them. It will be particularly noted thatthe angularity of the ends I1 and I8 l has been changed from that of Figure 5 to that of Figure- 3. In Figure 5 the inner surfaces are more or less parallel, and in Figure 3 they are inclined towards each other with the end I8a higher than the end I'Ia.

The important thing is that the nib is preconditioned, that is, to enable the slit control to beobtained. The slit is controlled in its many possible variations either by the twisting operationacting individually or in conjunction with stamping and forming members. The twisting alone may be sufcient. The stamping plus the twisting may be suiiicient, the stamping plus the twisting plus the forming maybe suoient. Thus may be seen the many possible combinations and variations thereof to aiord the precise opening desired. This precise control with its various combinations and adjustments is due in large part to the mechanical strip method employed by applicant which affords precise variations of pressure on the individual members. While heretofore other methods may have been employed to open the slit, it has only been in a certain set manner and has been impossible to accurately control and vary this opening. The foregoing variations are due to the fact that almost every pen nib is diierent from the other, in that the various customers desire a wide, narrow or diierent shape slit. Also the customers desire hard or soit, freely running or restricted running pens.

I have described an embodiment of my inventio-n, but it will be clear that changes may be made within the principle of the invention described, without departing from the scope of the subjoined claim.

What is claimed is:

In the manufacture of a pen, having nib portions with enlarged elongated tips extending above the plane of the face of the nib having a slot, that step which consists in bending the outer ends of said tips toward each other to substantially contact the outer tip ends of the tips, to reduce at the outer tip ends the width of the slot between the tips and widen the slot inwardly of the outer tip ends, the bending being such as to form adjacent outer ends of the tips inclined to the axis of the pen in a plane parallel with the plane of the nib, the largest width between the tips being approximately at the inner ends of the enlarged tips, the laterally widened slot between the inner opposed walls of the enlarged tips forming an ink reservoir.

JOHN A. SHEA. 

